Car-truck



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. P. STODDARD.

GAR TRUCK.

No. 399,580. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

WITNESSES 11v VEN TOR @W M mam 1.91; A TTORNEY,

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. P. STODDARD.

GAR TRUCK No. 399,580. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

WITNESSES INVENTOR) JWM )9 MW BY MW 13am MATTORNEY.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

- S. P. STODDARD.

OAR TRUCK.

No. 399.580. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

, WITNESSES.-

INVENTOR, m \r -MM Ji -gm 9M wxmw @g 6' BY M 4-243 M. A TTORNEY.

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SOLOMON P. STODDARD, OF BROOKVILLE, INDIANA.

CAR-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,580, dated March12, 1889.

Application filed August 2], 1888.

To all 1072 0717, it may concern:

Be itknown that l, SOLOMON P. STODDARD, of Brookville, county ofFranklin, State of Indiana, a citizen of the United States, haveinvented certain new and useful lm n'ovements in Car-Trucks, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a truck for railwaycars; and my inventionconsists in a car-truck containing the devices and constructed in themanner hereinafter particularly described, and as more at lengtl'irecited in the claims.

Figure l is a side elevation of a car-truck containing my invention.Fig. is a plan of the truck. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectionof one of the hereinaftcrdescribcd sections of the truck taken on lineas cc, Fig. 2. Fig. a is a lateral vertical section of the same taken online 1 y, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the body orcentral portion of the bisected ax e in detail.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a car-truck in whichthe two wheels on each axle thereof will be capable of independentmotion at each end of said axle, and in which the several pairs ofwheels on their respective axles may be capable of position and movementrelatively to the car itself independently of each other, whereby thetruck will be enabled to traverse sharp railwaycurves or those havingshort radii, and with the development of the minimum of friction betweenthe wheels and rails.

At A are shown the wheels of the truck. These wheels are mounted fixedlyupon the axles in pairs in the usual manner. The axles B have thecustomary journals at their ends (not shown) having bearin in the usualboxes, B.

In carrying out my invention each axle is bisected or divided aboutmidway its length into the two separate sections l) and Z1 each of whichsections thus carries a wheel, as described. At the opposed inner endsof the sections thus constituted I form in each section Z) and l) theconical recess extending into the axle-bodylongitudinally thereof andwith the apex of the cone located at the mechanical longitudinal axis ofthe axle.

Serial No. 283,322. (No model.)

0 is a bcaringpiece or mandrel having the.

general form of a double cone, basiely united and desirably with acylindrical central portion or body, 0, between said conical ends. Therespective conical ends of this mandrel O are adapted to fit into theconical recesses in the respective axle-sections Z) I), as shown plainlyin Fig. 5.

I is a collar or disk loosely journaled upon the central portion or bodyof the mandrel O and interposed thereon between the recessed ends of theaxle-sections.

The described bisected axle, having its sections united and givenbearings at their inner or opposed ends, is, by means of the conicalmandrel and the collar O, enabled to have each of its sections, with thewheel carried by it, revolved independently of the other section, andalso to have its two sections revolved simultaneously and in unison; andthe form of the bearings provided by the conical mandrel C, working inthe corresponding conical recesses in the ends of the axle-sections,enables the said sections when they revolve independently of each otherto do so with the development of a minimum of friction upon the mandrel-bea-rings. In traversing a railway curve, therefore, the wheelstreading the outer and inner rails will revolve independently of eachother, and thus the wheels treading the outer rail will be enabled torevolve more rapidly and to traverse the greater circle of the outerrail without interference or hinderance by the wheels treading the innerrail, and when the truck is traversing a straight track. theaxle-sections will be induced to revolve in unison, as is of coursedesirable, by the friction of the opposed ends of the sections on thecollar 0, the conical bearings of the sections, which bearings may besomewhat loose for this purpose, offering the minimum resistance to thistendency or inducement to the simultaneous revolution of the sections ona straight track, as aforesaid. A bearingframe, 0 may be desirablyprovided for the collar 0, consisting of bars 0 0 secured to thetruck-timbers, as shown, and extending longitudinally of the truck aboveand below the axle, and bent or formed, as shown, to give four bearingor contact points for the periphery of the said collar.

In incorporating my described bisected axle in a truck structure I findit desirable to mount each axle in a separate and distinct frame orsection of the truck, as hereinafter set forth, and then to couple theseseveral sections together. In the drawings a truck is shown composed oftwo such sections and I find it furthermore preferable to construct eachof said individual sections in two main portionsnan1ely, an upper and alower portionthe latter of which carries the axle-boxes and the formerof which is imposed upon said lower portion, having springs interposedbetween the portions, as hereinafter set forth, the upper portion thushaving vertical play upon the lower portion and being adapted to receivethe drafting-bars, which in turn sup port the transom-bar of thecar-body.

In the drawin s the truck structure is shown composed of the twosections D and D, in each of which a single axle and its pair of wheelsare mounted. Each of these sections is composed of a lower portion, d,and an upper portion, 61. timbers of the lower portion ofeachtrucksection. These said timbers are united longitudinally of the truckby the brace-bars e, reaching from one to the other on the upper side,and by an arch-bar composed of the two coincident trusses e and e whichreach from one to the other on the under side. The first of thesetrusses, 6, extends upwardly to and is bolted to the brace-bar 6, whilethe other truss, e coincides with the first in its course untilitreaches the line of the under side of the axle-box, where it extendsacross to the other end of the truck, as shown. By this form andarrangement of the trusses of the arch-bar a seat or support isconstituted for the axle-box between the horizontal portions of thecoincident trusses and a novel and strengthening as well as economicalfeature is given to the truck. Bolts a secure the crowns of the trussesand the brace-bar together, as shown.

At 01 are shown the longitudinal timbers, and at d the transversetimbers, of the upper portion of the truck. Upon the inner side of thetransverse timbers are provided plates or flanges d adapted to reachdown and play loosely inside the similar timbers of the lower portion ofthe truck; and springs S are interposed between the upper and lowerframes, being seated, as shown, in recesses in the frames. By means ofthis division of. the truck horizontally into two sectionsan upper and alowerl am enabled to provide a large surface, over which springs may beplaced, the number being increased at pleasure, thus giving a truckpossessing increased resiliency under the car. The upper portion of thetruck is given a vertical play on the lower or wheeled portion, and isguided in such play and prevented from lateral displacement by the flangeplates 61 working inside the transverse timbers of the lower portion.

As hereinbefore stated, I prefer to construct the completed truck withtwo or more, pref- At 61 are shown the transverse thereof. The downwardthrust of the drafting-bars, due to the weight of the car, is thus feltwholly upon and borne entirely by the truck-sections at a point or linedirectly over each axle. Above the drafting-bars and pivoted thereon bythe king-bolt is the transom bar E which supports the car-body in theusual manner.

The coupling for the truck-sections, which I have devised and preferablyemploy, consists in a coupler bar or block, F, the ends of which haveplay in recesses in the adjacent transverse timbers of thetruck-sections, wherein they are pivoted by coupling-pins or bolts f,while auxiliary coupling-plates F and F desirably connect the upper sideof the upper section and the under side of the lower section on theadjacent transverse timbers thereof, said plates being pivoted to saidtimbers by pins or bolts f, as shown. The kingbolt E is pivotally seatedin the said coupling bars or plates by ,means of vertical apertures inthe several plates coincident to each other and through which theking-bolt extends, as shown.

The bisected axle and its conical mandrelbearings at the bisection maybe employed in any railway-car truck; but I find it desirable, in orderto secure the best results, to construct the sectional truck I havedescribed and to incorporate the described bisected axle therein.

It is evident that by means of the car-truck I have described asacomplete structure railway curves which are abrupt, short, or, in otherwords, of short radii, may be traversed with the development of aminimum of friction between the wheels and the rails, and consequentlywith an avoidance of unpleasant and destructive oscillation of thecar-body carried by the truck, and therefore with a minimum of wear uponthe operative parts. The wheels of the truck will each have anindependent and individual movement over the track, and to each axle inits truck-section may be secured an independent movement with its saidtruck-section under the car-body.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a railway-car truck, an axle havinga wheel fixed on each endthereof and bisected midway its length, with a conical recess in each ofthe opposed inner ends of the thus constituted sections thereof, amandrel having conical ends fitted into said recesses in theaxle-sections and giving bearings therefor, and a collar or disk looselyjournaled on said mandrel between said opposed inner ends of saidaxle-sections, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. I11 a railway-car truck, an axle having a wheel fixed on each endthereof and bisected midway its length, with a conical recess in each ofthe opposed inner ends of the thus constituted sections thereof, amandrel having conical ends fitted into said recesses-in theaxle-sections and giving bearings there for, and a collar or diskloosely journaled on said mandrel between said opposed inner ends ofsaid axle-sections, together with a frame carried by the truck-timbersand fitted loosely upon and giving bearing to said collar or disk,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

A car-truck composed of a frame constituting a lower section thereof, inwhich the wheel axle or axles are journaled, a frame constituting anupper section thereof upon which the drafting-bars rest and have play,and springs seated between the opposed faces or timbers of said upperand lower sectionframes, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. Ina car-truck, the combination of a frame in which the wheel axle oraxles are journaled and constituting lower section of the truck, with aframe which is imposed upon the lower section and upon which thedrafting-bars rest and have play, springs seated between the timbers ofthe said upper and lower trucksections, and flanges on the upper sectionwhich reach into and have play in the lower section, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

5. In a car-truck, the combinatiomwith the transverse timbers thereof,of arch-bars composed of a brace-bar extending longitudinally of thetruck from the forward to the rearward timbers on the upper sidethereof, atruss extending similarly between said timbers from the underside thereof and bent intermediate its ends to reach upwardly to saidbrace-bar, and a truss extending similarly of the truck and below and incontact with said first truss and bent to reach upwardly to a lessheight than said first truss, together with axle-boxes seated betweenthe crowns of said trusses and bolts passing through and uniting saidbracebar, trusses, and boxes, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

6. A car-truck composed of separate and independent sections, in each ofwhich is journaled a bisected axle having a wheel fixed on the outer endof each section of said axle, and a conical-ended mandrel-bearing forthe correspondingly-recessed opposed inner ends of said axle-sections,together with a collar j on rnaled loosely upon said mandrel betweensaid opposed ends of said axle-sec tions, a coupling between andpivotally uniting said truck-sections, a king-bolt seated in saidcoupling, and drafting-bars pivoted on said king-bolt, with its endsreaching to and resting upon each truck-section, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

SOLOMON P. STODDARD.

Witnesses:

ARDEN S. FITCH, A. T. FALEs.

